The Bay Area’s sports radio scene remained healthy in the 2021 spring book, led by the sports leader, KNBR. Among Men 25-54, the San Francisco sports station secured Top 3 finishes in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) and for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid), producing a respectable 4.5 and 4.3 share.
KNBR got its best quarterly performance from its morning show ‘Murph & Mac’. The team of Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey finished 1st overall from 6a-10a with a 5.5 share. Their performance was up eight tenths of a point and five ranking positions from the winter book.
Middays also experienced growth as the team of John Lund and Greg Papa wrapped up a 5th place showing thanks to a 4.2 share. Papa and Lund went up two ranking spots from the winter book, adding three tenths of a point in the process.
Afternoons enjoyed similar success. Tom Tolbert, Larry Krueger and Rod Brooks also popped a 4.2 share. That placed them 4th from 2p-6p. They were up six tenths of a point and five ranking positions from the winter book.
Thanks to a strong San Francisco Giants baseball team and Mark Willard, KNBR once again enjoyed great success during the evening hours of 7p-12a. The station was 2nd overall with a 5.0 share, up from a 2.0 share and 13th place in the winter book.
Meanwhile, for local competitor 95.7 The Game, the winter and spring books produced similar stories. The station was 11th in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 3.2 share, up two tenths of a point and two ranking positions from the winter. The Game was also 14th for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with a 2.6 share. That was the same ranking position from the winter book, but they did pick up one tenth of a point.
In AM drive, ‘The Morning Roast’ with Bonta Hill, Kate Scott and Joe Shasky delivered a 2.4 share. That was the same number the show produced in the winter book. The positive, the program gained three ranking positions from book to book.
Middays with Matt Steinmetz, Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson and Dan Dibley gained one tenth of a point from winter to spring, improving from a 3.1 to a 3.2. The show held steady in 11th place.
Afternoons were where The Game made its best progress. Damon Bruce, Ray Ratto and Matt Kolsky claimed a 6th place finish with a 3.8 share. That was up five tenths of a point and three ranking positions from the winter book. They were also just four tenths of a point behind Tolbert’s show, and that’s without having the benefit of a few Giants day games.
At night is where The Game took a step backwards. The station was ranked 19th with a 1.7 share, down three tenths of a point and six ranking positions from the winter book. A strong Warriors playoff run next year at this time could change things quickly.
Similar to recent stories told in New York and Philadelphia, San Francisco has one program director signing off, and another coming in. For Jeremiah Crowe, this is a great way to say goodbye. Every daytime show finished the quarter in the Top 5. The Giants are playing great and pumping in audience. That puts incoming PD Kevin Graham in great shape as he gets acclimated to a new market.
For The Game, the afternoon show has some great momentum. With football season around the corner, that should lead to a few more ears tuning in. If the station can get mornings and middays to pop the way PM drive is right now, we could have a tight sports radio race once again in the Bay Area.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
